Improbable, not impossible
by Luv Writing 3
Summary: There always a chance at the impossible in this world. It's a mixed up place and as strange as it seems, you can't have everything exact. It might seem strange but the Air Nomads legacy survived. We're not the last, I think. We're just the ones who ended up with all the attention.
1. Chapter 1

Improbable, not Impossible

_By Luv Writing 3__  
_

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Nations, like stars are entitled to eclipse. All is well, provided the light returns and the eclipse does not become endless night. Dawn and resurrection are synonymous. The reappearance of the light is the same as the survival of the soul.

~Victor Hugo

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Chapter I

The sound of watery sobs and swift tears that replace each other rings through my ears as I slowly open my eyes to the moonlit room I live with Kayo in. But I prop myself up on my left hand to see the streams of salty water swiftly sprinting down my sister's face. "Kay?", I whisper my nickname for her out. No one in the world can make me instantly change from a rough, bitter being to a soft gentle friend but Kayo. Her sobs send shivers of fear down my body.

Kayo turns around and suddenly her thin noodles of arms wrapped around my shoulders. Her head rests in the crook of neck that connects to my body. I brush her soft brown curls and hum a few lines of our mother's lullaby. One of the last things I have left of my mother. "Rika, I had the nightmare again".

It feels if someone has forced the air out of my lungs like a berry between the toes of an air bison. I suddenly in a world of blackened wooden, blazing monstrous beings of flames, and my mother's soft lips brushing my smooth forehead. Her last words are my personal motto now,_ "Protect your sister."_ I lean down and press my lips to her forehead. She is only eleven, barely even a child when it happened but the flashes of fire and death with haunt her as it does to myself.

"Do you want some oolong tea?", I ask.

After many years of caring for her, I know Kay likes drink oolong after nightmares. She nods but in a small voice says, "Can you do it the way Mom use to?"

My sister never had my mother's tea. At the time she was alive, she never had nightmares. She would sleep the nights away full of innocence and honey. But I had some. They were trivial things compared to now. Those were dreams of being called a freak for my slow process in bending or monsters coming to get me. My mother use to make the tea when I was plagued by nightmares and now I make it Kayo in her place. I smile and remind myself I can't look back. Back into what was the past is a place of danger for me, even now in the present.

I gently place my sister back down on the mat and make my way across the cold wooden floor to start the tea. Forcing myself to smile instead of bursting out bawling like an infant as I search for the tea-pot.

HHH

I work at inn in the Lower Ring of Ba Sing Se. The one word to explain my job is active. There is usually five fights during my shift, rowdy earth kingdom soldiers who don't know a barmaid doesn't automatically equal a whore, and women who get into fights over customers. It doesn't help that Kayo works odd jobs there, from sewing the kitchen staff's aprons to passing out flyers for advisement. Anything I don't do and convince my drunken off ass boss that we need help goes to my sister. When she's not doing those jobs like cutting leeks for the cook, she looking for a job.

I know she's smart enough to handle herself in the Lower Ring and usually she sticks to the less infested with crime places in the Lower Ring as you can get for work. She a pretty girl with her chestnut curls and big brown eyes, very smart too. Which is why I taught her the most sensitive places on the human body to hit a man and woman with your legs or hands. She wasn't that overjoyed learning it but it makes me feel better knowing she can take care of herself using her wits and her feet.

But she naturally very small and when you look two years younger than you actually are, people tend to not want you greeting customers. We've lived in this city for about a year yet she can only get quick chores no one else wants to do. I don't want her working but money is tight and I rather have her work than hang around those kids who have already joined gangs to have a warm bed and a crust in their mouths.

"Rika, get this to table two?"

I shake my head to stop daydreaming about sweet breads and warm moon peaches glazed and take the order of alcohol the two over beefy men at the table in the far right. Fifth teen minutes, I tell myself as one of the whispers what he would like to do with me as the other guzzles his drink down. "That'll be a silver piece and four copper for your order, not me", I stiffly reply back.

I telling myself twelve more minutes when the Cook and my boss starts fighting over the menu and we have five angry customers waiting. Yuki, a girl who my age and the closest thing I have to a friend leans over and whispers,"Fry five times equals five times the taste." I snort and start filling jugs of liquor of alcohol.

I'm called upstairs to help stop a fight between one of the prostitutes and her customer,because he underpaid her. When we finally get to agreement on price, then I put my apron on a hanger, grab my bag, and grab my pay for the week, including the coins I have shoved in my pockets that are tips. "See ya in a day", I whisper to Yuki who still has an hour left and run to the door. This is the best time of my work. When I don't need to work.

Kayo standing near a stall of mangoes outside, her eyes glancing around until they find me in the crowd. Kayo beams at me and skips to my direction. Kayo usually moon peaches and cream all the time but there's something lighter in her step and something more radiant in her white shiny teeth. "What's making you so bright today, Miss Sunny?"

"I got a job", she says in a sing-song way, practically dancing on the balls of her feet.

You wouldn't naturally think Kayo and I to be related, probably never even sisters. I have silvery-blue eyes, brown hair with tiny braids and uneven cut chunks of hair in it, and my attitude is more smart ass and bitter than Kayo. I also have sun spots all over my face and arms. We're kinda opposites just like day and night, moon and sun, and air and earth. Just like Mom and Dad.

"Really, where?" I ask.

"A tea shop. The new one under us with the kinda twitchy guy running it?"

I remember meeting the owner but the only thing I remember of him is he had a very jumpy personality and his tea was cold, somehow dry, and burnt all the same time in a sip. "Does this call for green tea ice cream?", Kayo asks in soft voice.

I've paid the rent, we have enough food, and none of our clothes are too small. Spending some pocket-money can't hurt. Besides, I enjoy ice cream as much as anyone.

'Sure."

Kayo joyous cry of "YES!" is probably heard through the entire city of Ba Sing Se to the personal rooms of the Fire Lord. But I just smile as she dances her little dance. I rarely see her act her own age anymore. I don't have that pleasure anymore.

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**So how was my attempt at Fanfiction? True this is more of a Prolog than a chapter but I wanted to introduce the two main characters before getting the Avatar TV Show scenes in. There's Mariko or Rika as she prefers who's a bit of smartass though I haven't been able to show. And Kayo who's a big ball of sunshine but has gone through a lot for a girl her age.**

**So I hope to get some positive feedback on this and I'm working on this now. I want to have a beta reader but I don't know if anyone would enjoy helping me on this? Anyone at all?**


	2. Chapter 2

Improbable, Not impossible

Chapter 2

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Objects we ardently pursue bring little happiness when gained; most of our pleasures come from unexpected sources.

~ Herbert Spencer

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My first impression of meeting my new neighbors and my sister's co workers is not the best meeting in history.

I walked her down to work the next day after our green tea ice cream. Despite her obvious discomfort with the idea of her older sister leading her down to work, I go anyway. She stares at me through her bangs she keeps messing up even thought I clip them back in place every time before finally giving up on putting them in place. "No one else has their sister walking them down to work", she says in an unhappy grumbling tone as we make our way down the stairs.

"No one else is barely 122 centimeters and is eleven years old. So quite whining."

Kayo stops and she shuffles uncomfortably in her baggy green shirt and black tights. She fiddles with the bottom of the apron that has seen better days. "You don't think they'll tease me right?"

My shoulders stiffen and I almost tell her to kick them in their privates if they so much as look at her wrong when I realize she and I are on two very different pages of the book. I sigh and cup her cheek, "Kay, if they're good people who understand, they won't judge. And if they are, well don't let them get to you".

Kayo looks at me with her big eyes that once belonged to the woman who would rub my hair when I cried, who would pick me up and peppered my face with kisses when she saw me advance in anything, and the woman who held me as fire demolished the only life I had ever know. I smile and in a fake horribly rough as bark voice say, "That why I have to threaten them".

"Don't!"

"Just Kidding, Kay".

Truth be told I'm not.

When we arrive outside of the tea shop. I see the jumpy owner and Kayo beams a soft smile at him. "I'm ready to work, boss!"

I glad she's looking forward to work. Work for me is not a happy prospect. In fact it on the list of things I detest most in this world right under bloodletting and above losing my left sock. "Hello, sir!" I say to the jumpy owner man.

He gives me a strange twitch followed by a pleasant smile. "You are the girl in apartment four, aren't you? You came down once for tea."

The most wretched tea in the entire earth kingdom I thought as I responded back, "I'm also the guardian of your newest employee. I need to check if she's going to work in proper conditions".

Kayo is making" no" motions with her mouth. "I understand but we have safe conditions. Nothing can kill her".

"I just need to make sure. Just to keep me from worrying you know." I can feel Kayo's eyes smoldering. If she was a firebender, smoke would be bellowing from her ears and fire out of her mouth. "Go on ahead. I have run out for some tea leaves. We didn't order enough for the week."

I more concerned about the health of the people drinking than Kayo glaring hot fire daggers into my skull, almost piercing my brain as she follows me into the tea shop. The minute the door closes behind us however, Kayo is ready to voice her emotions. "What was that?"

"I was doing my job", I reply cooly back, unfazed by her hot glare.

"I thought you were a barmaid". Okay, now that hurts. It's one thing being a barmaid and it's other to have your little sister acknowledge your barmaid in a city where barmaid equals a whore. It's a stereotype I slip around, never telling anyone my real job.

I pretty sure Kayo realizes what she unintentchly meant as I whisper, "I doing what Mom told me to. That's to protect you."

I do have to admit I regret the words as soon as they left my mouth. Compared to Kayo, I remember Mom like she lives in the apartment, cooking dinner as we rest on the bed and my memories are only small deeds and feelings she gave me. Kayo has nothing of our mother but a blurry painting I created for her. Like a dao sword through butter, a voice slices through our hurt eyes and our open wounds we've inflicted on one other. "Are you the new co-worker Dee told us about?"

I turn to face a man with golden eyes that are like a warm fire on a cold winter night. He's gray-haired with a small beard and has a pot belly but I can see he can still fight by the muscles in his arms and the calloused skin of his hands. I realize he's referring to me and I shake my head. "No, I'm dropping her off", motion to my sister.

"Hello, I'm Mushi",He says with a comforting gooey sort of smile that makes one appear on Kayo's face and mine. He sticks his hand out to Kayo.

"Charmed, Kayo", and she grabs his hand with a strong shake.

"Thanks for coming Kayo. We need other helping hand here", he talks to her with respect and kindness. I know I shouldn't but I fully trust Mushi even if I just met him.

"Will you be working with us too-", Mushi asks but stops as he realizes he doesn't know my name.

"Mariko but you can call me Rika and no, I'm just making sure she'll be safe here".

Mushi doesn't look at me the way the owner does. He understands and he allows me into the small kitchen in the back. I pretend to check around the stove as Mushi explains "I brew tea here but she'll be serving the customers. My nephew-"

"Uncle, I can't believe you found us jobs here of all places!" A new raspy voice breaks through, very annoyed with the idea of working in a tea shop. I turn around to see a boy, no a teenager with scruffy dark brown hair and porcelain white skin coming through the back door. He's handsome with honey eyes, high cheek bones, and a body that I can see lean muscles through his dark green and brown robes. He's the kind of guy most female between the ages thirteen and ninety-seven with fan over the minute his shirt comes off. The only things that ruin his perfect features are his scar and his scowl that are plastered on his face.

The scar has an almost flame shape to it, slightly curling around his face and onto his ear. It's not at all disgusting to me and I'm ashamed to say but the scar gives me a reason to respect him. Burns like that mean you got captured by the firenation and the ability to work and walk tells me this boy escaped. Being captured is one and escaping is another.

Mushi takes a deep breath if asking the spirits to help him and finishes his sentence, "This is my nephew, Lee who is the busboy and cleans up after the customers. I just showing around our new co-worker".

Lee stares at me and he makes the sort of face an over spoiled prince would as he looks over me as if I'm a crop on sale he's not particularly fond of. "Oh", he says, his tone is dull and unimpressed. That stings a bit, I'm not gonna lie.

Our eyes meet and silver-blue and honey clash in a silent battle of sharp stares. I point to over Kayo and I grit my teeth as I get out, "Don't worry, she's your new co-worker".

He stares at Kayo and she tugs at my sleeve, "Rika, you have to head to work. Tuesday's are the days the cook gives out those free cookies and I like some."

Our cook would never give free cookies out to any of the servers so I can see exactly what Rika is implying. Leave now. I grit my teeth for the second billion time I've been there as I choke out harshly, "It was pleasure meeting you", and I pause if to forced the nonexistent words out, "Lee".

"You, too Rika", he forcefully struggles to get out but I feel the daggers Mushi is glaring at him to make him be polite.

"It's Mariko", I deadpan back. In a single sharp turn of my feet, I face Mushi and my little sister. "It was nice to meet 'cha, Mushi" and beam a real sincere grin at the man.

He gives me in return that warm buttery wise man smile of his and pats Kayo on the back, "I'll teach her the ropes. Don't you worry, Rika".

"See you later", Rika asks, her voice soft and a bit shaky as our eyes meet.

A silent apology exchanges in our deep brown eyes and blue-cloudy ones between us and I smile. "I'll get here as soon as I can".

Then without even looking in Prince Stuck up, I make my way through the back table, thinking how I'm actually happy to work in the inn and not with Prince Stuck up.

HHH

Work is the amazingly better than the norm. Yuki laughs as the drunken man at table three sings in a high-pitched female voice and Rae; a boy around Kayo's age who delivers fruit somehow convinces Bao the Boss to buy a big box of things he doesn't even know what they are to learn "the precious gifts the spirits have blessed us" with is actually a bunch of bricks and pebbles. I forgot all about Prince Stuck Up but remember the way his eyes traveled over me; taking in my choppy bangs to my worn shoes as if I was the dust under his toes.

I go grocery shopping after work for food and go apartment to find Kayo reading a ripped apart book of myths I gave her as a birthday present after coming to Ba Sing Se.

"So how was work with Prince Stuck Up?" I asked, holding a bag of groceries in one hand and the keys of the apartment in another.

Kayo instantly understands who I'm talking about,because she replies with, "Lee's not that bad. Moody but he handles the work pretty well. Mushi's really nice though. He's really funny, corny funny and he knows every about tea. Kinda how you imagine a grandfather", and places one of her hair ties into the book as she closes the page to the book, her brown eyes staring at me from across the room.

"I like him, t Mushi," I say taking some vegetables from the bag.

"What were our grandparents like?" Kayo asks as I shake a melon, listening as I hear the "fresh fruit juices" the merchant was ranting about. I drop the melon at the shock of the question and before it hits the ground, cushion it on a ball of air my left foot hastily makes. I send the melon up with a single stomp and it safely lands into my hands. "Good catch", Kayo says.

"Thanks," I respond, placing the melon on the counter.

"So we didn't have grandparents?"

I remember a man. He's thin without much muscle with a tall height, towering over my father by a good three inches but he could instantly charm a room of strangers with some jokes and an old tale when he traveled around the Earth Kingdoms as a merchant. I share his thin fingers covered by tight skin and oval finger nails made for hard work. Kayo shares his love of green tea ice cream.

"We had an uncle on Dad's side but that it", I get out.

"Oh," and Kayo doesn't ask anymore. It's a silent fact that we shared. I never tell her I vomit in the small alley not far from the inn after she asks me countless question on our old lives. How I have nightmares that result in me running through Ba Sing Se at midnight to burn off the energy and forget the smell of smoke that haunts my nose. I wish I didn't do these things but I do and I know it will be a long time before they go away.

"So guess what?" Kayo asks; waiting for me to guess.

"The Earth King wants you to serve him tea?" I jokingly reply, placing down a cabbage.

"Nope, guess again".

"Some Prince saw you far away and asked for your hand in marriage. If I guessed right-"

"NO! Boys are weird", she say though a soft faint blush covers her ears and she doesn't look me in the eye.

"Prince Stuck is living with us", I say; a sudden dread coursing through my body. The idea of his eyes staring at me every single day at every single minute leaves a bitter taste in my mouth and a churning sensation in my stomach. That is not exactly the best idea and I try to replace it with him getting trash throw at his face. Good, that makes a smile happen.

"You really don't like him, huh?"

Kay's simple observation sends me over the edge and I try not to break the loaf of bread I have in my hands. "Well, I walk in and try to act civil. But he just sends me this glare as if I spat fire on him?"

"Ah, Rika. You may want to-" but I'm too angry to listen to her.

"And I just looked him. At first I felt a lot of respect for the guy, whatever he did that pissed off a firenation solider so much that a scar covers half of his face on one side of his face is alright in my book. But he looks at me like I'm dirt? I know I'm a barmaid but I'm not a whore! He was looking at me like he was the damned fire lord or maybe even his son. Yes, I'm not a noble but you aren't neither, pal!" I'm practically screaming now. I rarely show when I'm angry and when I did, it was impossible to make me calm down. My mother would just let me scream my head off and blow off steam before telling why I couldn't release my anger like that.

I'm rarely release my anger in front of Kayo now. I take my anger out at night when she's fast asleep on the stone wall of the apartment, coming back with cracked knuckles and sweat covered skin. But there are times when I have to release or I'll explode. So she knows that I just need my space when I blow up. Volcano rage time, she calls it.

"-be quiet", Kayo says as I take deep breaths in the kitchen, my volcano rage gone. I feel drained mentally but physically my body is begging to move. To calm itself in familiar stances to stop the still fast pumping blood that reddens my ears. Neither of us speak as I calm myself, making my fist balls and trying to hum my favorite song in my head. I feel a bit embarrassed after my freak out.

"I'm sorry", I say; my cheeks red and my back turned to her.

Kayo's voice weakly replies back, "I know, it's fine."

I try to attempt to light the mood about to become stiff and awkward around us. "So what was the thing you wanted me to guess?"

Kayo stares at me, her brown eyes darting back to me and her closed book if discussing her options with it. "It's not that important".

I felt the full weight of guilt crushing my lungs. Spirits, I feel horrible about messing up her happy news and I sigh. I place myself against our thin mat with a plop and sit with my legs cross over each other and my hands loose in my lap. "I still don't know", I say; a teasing tone light in my voice.

Kayo bites her lip and plays with a piece of hair, twirling it in her fingers. "You'll get mad."

I realize her happy news involves Prince Stuck Up but he is Mushi's nephew. So I can see if she's worried about me getting mad if it has to do with Mushi and Lee. Lee is my problem, not the kind man with smiling eyes and a warm presence. "I'm sorry and it wasn't right for me to vent. Just because I don't enjoy his company, doesn't mean you have to".

Kayo sighs but not like I do. It's follows a hidden smile and she looks more Kayo when she does it. "Mushi and Lee are our neighbors and they moved in next door just yesterday night".

If I know a thing about this building, it is that you can hear everything if it above normal voice. But my rants are nothing new to our old neighbors, but the new ones...

I really need to learn to take my anger out in other ways than my mouth.

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So how was that? As my first long chapter, it got Zu- I mean Lee and Mushi into the story. There's going to have some changes in the way the episodes line up ,because I need to fit Kayo into the story as well as Mariko.

So tell me what you think. Interesting? Give quick review!


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